hamburger mattenfilter

Matteino^82 · Post by **Matteino^82** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:13 am

Hi to all...during my "plannig" of the shrimp-o-drome (a battery of 4-6 tanks of 22 liter), i was wondering about the ideal filter...
I don't want to use a sponge filter because of the noise that the aerator produce:

the other possibilities are:
-small external filter with a net on the aspiration so shrimplets canot go in the filter (i use this idea for my actual 30 liter red cherry and everithing is ok)

-a hamburger mattenfilter. It is something like this:
http://www.aquarien-info.de/include.php ... 6e136cbecd

DOes anybody uses it?Is it simple to build for a small tank like mine???
thank you..

matteo

milalic · Post by **milalic** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:22 am

You have some options:

1. Get a very quite air pump(maybe a dolphin brand one, eheim) that can drive multiple tanks and connect sponge filters to it. Not much noise, barely hear it. I do not sleep in the same room as the tanks. I use this method. It was the cheaper.

2. You can build a sump and overflow for filtration and water changes.

I do not recommend HOB filters, too expensive, too much hassle and not much bacteria and microorganisms like in a sponge.

-Pedro

Matteino^82 · Post by **Matteino^82** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:28 am

do you think that a sponge filter in a 40cmx23cmx25 cm is too large????
if i found a low-noise aerator and sponge filter are not too big,, i will use it...

Another question: if i use spongefilter and CO2, are you sure that the presence of the aeratorwouldn't affect the absortion of CO2 from plants?
i Know that areators and CO2 cannot work at he same time because the bubbles of air dissolve the co2

bye

pturley · Post by **pturley** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:35 am

edit.

Matteino^82 · Post by **Matteino^82** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:42 am

thanks pturley, my problem is to have a pump with 30 liter/hourof flowrate (this is what the hamburg filter needs for a 20 liter acquarium)

Anyway, in italy nobody sell sponge filter, do you believe???:))) [ADMIN: Sentence asking for link to commercial product page deleted...repeat offender]
bye

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 9:55 am

Would there be any way to construct this sort of filter in a tank that's up and running?

I just set up a sponge filter running alongside my normal filter but the air pump is noisy. I've got a couple of other pumps to try but if I could set up the hamburg filter I could keep my normal filter and get rid of the sponge filter.

morphriz · Post by **morphriz** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:48 pm

Hi all
These filters are great. Several stroes in my area use hamburger matten filters in all their tanks. For economy they are powered by airlifts. The "bubbling" noise is unavoidable but with many tanks there's economy in buying a better airpump that makes less noice. Any small linear piston pump is a good deal more quiet than your run of the mill membrane pumps.

As for putting them in established tanks you definately can but you will have to biuld a complete corner box out of glass of plastic. Here is a link in swedish for DIYing such a filter, the images are quite descriptive: http://www.zoopet.com/index.php?option= ... Itemid=206

Good luck with you filtering!
cheers Mattias

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:54 pm

Welcome morphriz

! Thanks for the link and the information on this filter. Talk to you later.

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:19 pm

I'm not understanding how this type of filter works. Is air power used to circulate water through the sponge? It doesn't seem very efficient for circulating water throughout the tank.

Das Dee · Post by **Das Dee** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:55 pm

Hi,

hopefully you can understand what I want to say...

I'm not understanding how this type of filter works.

The Hamburg Mat Filter is a pure biological filter. Bacteria settle down on the mat and convert(?) nitrite(poisinous) to nitrate(fertilizer for plants). I guess this is the most common task of this kind of filter... It does not clear the water (btw - this would be the death for this filter

)
There must be a continiously waterflow though the mat.

The problem is, that inside a shrip tank the childern of the shrip are able to "walk" through a mat which pores are to big. If you have got a fine mat there is no problem.

We always use motor pumps. These air-pumps are to loud for us

We found some little pumps up to 120 l/hr and we we reduced the output a bit, so the water is circulating only twice through the filter - this is also the recommend output for this filter.

For small tanks i would recomend normal "air sponge filter" or one of these micro hang on filter (guess red sea has one...) with a sponge on the intake - got to search a picture... wanted?

We use HMF for tanks form 40 to 200 liter. One you allready saw on aquarien-info.de and the bigges you can see here

So far - greetings from germany

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:49 pm

I didn't think it would clear the whole tank, just wondered how effective it would be for bio-filtration.
I simply don't see any advantage over a sponge filter, whether it's air-powered or run by a powerhead. I use a small fine-pore sponge filter in my 10 gallon tank, and a larger one with a powerhead in my 29.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 8:09 pm

I simply don't see any advantage over a sponge filter, whether it's air-powered or run by a powerhead.

The advantage is less noise.

morphriz · Post by **morphriz** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:34 pm

The "measurement" of filter efficiency, not counting clogging, is filtervolume times water throughput. Clogging leads to two effects in the filter, less water throughput and less space for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. The design of the HMF, large filter volume and very small water thorughput, is equal to a sponge filter, small filter volume with high throughput, when it comes to initial efficiency. The HMF however, because of the slow speed of the water entering it, does not suck in as much detrius and particles which leads to much less clogging.
My personal opinion is that a powerhead powered sponge is equal to an powerhead powered HMF with respect to sound, the same goes if both are powered by airlifts.
cheers
//Mattias

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:40 pm

We always use motor pumps. These air-pumps are to loud for us

It looks like with motor pumps it is more quite.

morphriz · Post by **morphriz** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:29 pm

[quote="Neonshrimp"][quote]We always use motor pumps. These air-pumps are to loud for us :-D [/quote]

It looks like with motor pumps it is more quite.[/quote]

How do you mean? A centrigual pump is, if you dont use a venturi air injector, almost always more quiet than an airlift. Especially if you use a noisy membrane pump.
//Mattias